Forgive my ignorance; a name with an "x" in it usesaully turns out to be Chinese. Then when you throw in the homemade comment, I attributted that to the Norinco made M9s.
I still say that if you are looking for an M9 to use as an all around utility knife, go with one of the Medranos. If you're dead set against an import, go for one of the commercial Lan-Cays, but it will cost you about twice as much.
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Suzuki RM100